This invention relates generally to a winch assembly. More particularly, this invention relates to a brake mechanism for a winch assembly.
Winch assemblies are used to provide a mechanical advantage to move large or heavy objects. For example, in the boating industry, winch assemblies are used in conjunction with boat lifts to raise and lower boats out of and into the water. Winch assemblies are also prevalent throughout many other industries.
A typical winch assembly includes a shaft attached, sometimes through one or more reductions, to a spool. The spool may include an outer surface onto which a cable may be wound. The trailing end of the cable may be attached to an object, such as a boat lift. The winch assembly typically includes a ratchet with a plurality of teeth coupled to the shaft and a pawl positioned to engage the teeth to stop rotation of the shaft in an unwinding direction. The pawl thereby protects against unwinding of the cable and the undesired release of the boat or other object attached to the winch.
When the shaft is turned in the winding direction to wrap the cable onto the spool and thereby raise the boat, the pawl rides over the teeth of the ratchet, falling between each tooth as the ratchet follows the shaft in the winding direction. The action between the pawl and the ratchet generates noise. Because the pawl and ratchet are typically made of metal, the noise generated can be significant. The noise problem may be further exacerbated if the winch assembly is used in an area in which noise is undesirable.
It is desirable to manufacture a winch assembly that reduces noise associated with the winch assembly when used.
This invention relates generally to a winch assembly. More particularly, this invention relates to a brake mechanism for a winch assembly.
According to one aspect of the invention, a brake mechanism for a winch assembly may include a ratchet coupled to a shaft of the winch, the ratchet including a plurality of teeth and a pawl engaging one of the plurality of teeth of the ratchet to lock the shaft from rotating in a first direction, and a pawl controller coupled to the shaft to engage and bias the pawl away from the plurality of teeth of the ratchet when the shaft is rotated in a second direction.
According to another aspect of the invention, a winch assembly for use with a boat lift may include a housing, a shaft extending through the housing, a ratchet coupled to the shaft and including a plurality of teeth, a pawl coupled to the housing and engaging one of the plurality of teeth of the ratchet to lock the shaft from rotating in an unwinding direction, and a pawl controller coupled to the shaft to engage and automatically bias the pawl away from the plurality of teeth of the ratchet when the shaft is rotated in a winding direction.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, a winch assembly for use with a boat lift may include a winch housing, a shaft extending through the winch housing, and a ratchet coupled to the shaft and including a plurality of teeth. The winch assembly further includes a pawl coupled to the winch housing and including a shoulder engaging one of the plurality of teeth of the ratchet to lock the shaft from rotating in an unwinding direction, and a pawl controller coupled to the shaft and defining a notch including a lower surface to engage the shoulder of the pawl and automatically bias the pawl away from the plurality of teeth of the ratchet when the shaft is rotated in a winding direction.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method for braking a winch assembly may include steps of: providing a ratchet including a plurality of teeth and a pawl; causing the pawl to engage one of the plurality of teeth of the ratchet to lock the ratchet from rotating in an unwinding direction; rotating the ratchet in a winding direction so that the pawl is biased away from the plurality of teeth of the ratchet; and stopping rotation so that the pawl engages one of the plurality of teeth of the ratchet to lock the ratchet from rotating in an unwinding direction.